Safety device for submarine boats.



ARPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 19l6,

Patented, Mar. 20, 1917.

1E sra rns rarnu'r ornion.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR SUBMARINE BOATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

Application filed August 19, 1916. SerialiNo, 115,852. 7

To all whom it may: concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN P. RYAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Safety Device for Submarine Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a safety device for submarine boats and has for its object the release of such boats after they have become entangled in nets or similar obstructions.

Having in mind this general object, an important feature of my invention consists in providing a submarine boat with a plurality of bars extending longitudinally outside of the forward portion of the hull, and rigidly held in spaced relation thereto.

My invention further contemplates the provision of devices by the use of which the bars may be retracted when desired, this action aiding materially in freeing the boat from obstructions.

Another feature of my invention relates to the provision of cutting devices mounted on the bars above mentioned, these devices in the preferred form comprising long knives or saws having cutting teeth formed thereon, and slidably mounted in grooves in said bars. Suitable means isalso provided for mechanically reciprocating the cutting devices.

My invention further consists in' certain arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings in which Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a submarine boat with my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of one of the devices for retracting the bars;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the ratchet mechanism for turning the retracting nuts simultaneously;

Fig. A is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 41 in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the rear portion of the boat, showing means for protecting the rudder.

Referring to the drawings, the hull of the boat is indicated at 10 and outside of the hull I have shown a plurality of bars 11 extending longitudinally of the front portion of the hull, and. spaced therefrom. A sufliclent number of these bars are provided to protect the entire front portion of the hull, the number of bars depending upon the size of the boat. In the drawings, four such bars are indicated, but it will be understood that my invention is not limited to any par ticular number.

Each of the bars 11 is mounted in spaced relation to the hull 10 and in the form shown is provided with a series of studs 12 extending through holes 13in the side of the hull. Suitable provision will be made for preventing the entrance of water around the studs. In Fig. 2 I have shown a packing 14 held in place by a nut 15 threaded into a flange 16 formed on the inner surface of the hulk-but any other suitable arrangement of packing may be provided for this purpose.

The, inner end of each stud 12 is threaded to receive a nut 17, the outer end of which is squared to fit a wrench or handle. The other end of each nut is enlarged to form a flange 18 having ratchet teeth 19 formed on its periphery. The flange 18 is confinedbetween shoulders on brackets 20 secured to the hull, and is thus fixed in axial position relative thereto.

A bar 21 (Fig. 3) is-mounted to slide in bearings 22 and is provided with pawls 23 positioned to engage the ratchet teeth upon the several nuts 17 A hand lever 24 is mounted to swing about a fixed pivot 25, and has a bolt and slot connection with the sliding bar 21. A lug 21 on the bar engages stops 26 and 2 7 to limit the longitudinal movement of the bar. On the extreme front end of the hull a frame 30 is secured in position to cover the ends of the bars 11 and thus prevent obstructions getting beneath the bars.

I will now explain the operation of the mechanism thus far described. Let it be assumed that a submarine equipped with bars 11 engages a net N and is stopped with the net in the position indicated in Fig. 1. In order to release the boat from the net each lever 24: is operated and through its sliding bar 21 the ratchet nuts of the corresponding bar 11 are simultaneously rotated, thus drawing the bar toward the hull of the boat. Vhen each of the bars has been thus withdrawn, the effect is to reduce the size of the object held in the net, thus relieving the tension and permitting the boat to withdraw from the obstruction. If for any reason it is desirable to withdrawor advance a single stud 12 separately from the other studs, this may be done by applying a wrench or handle to the corresponding nut 17 mounted on the particular stud 12 which is to be adjusted. This nut may then be rotated manually independently of the other nuts in the series, and the stud may be thereby adjusted. If the nut'is to be turned backward to force the stud outwardly the corresponding pawl 23 may be raised from its ratchet 18 while the stud is being adjusted similarly.

It may sometimes happen that the boat is unable to withdraw from the net even after the bars are drawn inward, or it may be more desirable. for the boat to continue on its course without backing out of the obstruction. To permit such operation I may form the bars'll as shown in Fig. 4, and.

mount knives or saws 81 to slide longitudinally within the grooves of the bars. These knives or saws are provided with teeth adapted to cut metal, and provision is made for reciprocating each of the knives.

I have herein shown the knives or saws as provided with ears extending rearwardly through slots in the ends of the grooved bars and connected by links 32 to crank pins 33 mounted on crank disks 34 carried by shafts 35. Each shaft 35 is rotatable in suitable bearings in the hull, and extends within the boat where it is connected to a motor 86 by which the cutting device may be reciprocated. A sliding clutch connection 37 may be provided so as to permit the disk 34 to be forced inward against the side of the boat, should it engage an obstruction, and I also indicate a spring 38to hold the disk normally in its outer position.

When the cutting devices are to be used, the motor 36 is started to reciprocate the knives. The bars 11 may be fed outward if desired as the cutting continues, and when the obstruction has been cut away, the boat may continue upon its course.

It will be obvious that the motor can be removed or omitted and the shafts 335 rotated manually if occasion demands.

In order to protect the rear end of the boat, and particularly the rudder when the boat passes through the obstruction I provide a frame 40. (Fig. 5) secured to the lower portion of the boat, and protecting the rudder from injury.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that I have provided very simple mechanism by which the effective size of the boat may be reduced after an obstruction is engaged, and I have also provided a mechanism for cutting away the obstruction when that course of procedure is more desirable.

It will be evident that changes and modiof, means to support said bars in position normally spaced from said hull, and means to vary the space between said bars and hull, said bars thereby being effective to release said boat by decreasing the effective diameter of said boatin relation to said obstructions.

2. Means for releasing the hull of a submarine boat from entangling obstructions, said means comprising a plurality of rigid bars spaced substantially apart around the entire circumference of the front portion of said hull and extending longitudinally thereof, means to support said bars in position normally spaced from said hull, and means to vary the space between said bars and hull, said bars thereby beingefi'ective to release said boat by decreasing the effective diameter of said boat in relation to said obstructions, said latter means comprising a' plurality of devices for adjusting and holding each of said bars in spaced relation with said hull, and a single means for simultaneously actuating all of said devices pertaining to a single bar.

3. A submarine boat having, in combination, a hull, a plurality of separated bars extending longitudinally outside of the front portion of the hull but spaced therefrom, a plurality of studs fixed to each bar and extending within said hull, saidstuds being capable of axial movement either separately rately and simultaneously to adjust said studs axially, means to prevent axial movement of said nuts, and means to turn said nuts simultaneously.

5. A submarine boat having, in combination, a hull, a plurality of separated bars extending longitudinally alongside the front portion of the hull and substantially parallel thereto but spaced outwardly therefrom, cut ting devices mounted for longitudinal reciprocation on said bars, and means to reciprocate said devices.

6. A submarine boat having, in combination, a hull, a plurality of separated bars extending longitudinally alongside the front portion of the hull and substantially parallel thereto but outside thereof, said bars being longitudinally grooved on their outer faces, cutting devices mounted for longitudinal reciprocation in the grooves of said bars, and means to reciprocate said devices.

7. A submarine boat having, in combination, a hull, a plurality of separated bars extending longitudinally alongside the front portion of the hull substantially parallel thereto and outside thereof, said bars being longitudinally grooved in their outer faces,

cutting devices mounted for reciprocation therein, and a power motor connected to reciprocate said devices.

8. A submarine boat having, in combination, a hull, a plurality of separated bars extending longitudinally outside of the front portion of the hull but spaced therefrom, means to vary the distance between said bars and said hull, cutting devices mounted on said bars, and means to actuate said cutting devices.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature.

JOHN P. RYAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

